Well, I guess we all knew it was too good to be true. Just when it looked like the Mandalorians would be able to band together, putting aside their differences and uniting to return to Mandalore once more, Moff Gideon had to arrive and spoil the party. And with his return, a number of lingering questions were answered – both for The Mandalorian and for future Star Wars properties like Ahsoka and the final trilogy films – helping to see this season of the series on its path to its conclusion.
One thing that I’ve been pondering of late, particularly in light of the recent Star Wars Celebration announcements, is just how much longer The Mandalorian can go on. Now that the series has morphed from the lone gunslinger format of its early days into a story about the reunification of Mandalorians*, there can’t be all that much more road to lay in this particular story. Sure, the series could morph back into a solo tale for Din and Grogu (who is about the only character in this series encased so firmly in plot armor that he’s never going to die – although the series will need to come up with a clear explanation as to why he never made an appearance in future films). But the richness of the canvass, along with the competing characters and narrative arcs, lends itself better to the greater story Dave Filoni and company are looking to tell here (especially with a wrap-up film several years in the future that will presumably include some of the characters here).
*The biggest question hanging over the series now is what happens to the Mandalorians as a people, considering we heard neither hide nor hair of them in the recent trilogy. So, do they get wiped out by the emerging First Order? Does Moff Gideon succeed next week in destroying their entire fleet, leaving only the small remnant on the planet who must now fight off the Imperial troops to secure a ship and flee? Or do they succeed in surviving, eliminate Gideon (who is also not around in the trilogy – although we did get to meet General Hux’s father this episode, played by Brian Gleeson, brother of Domhnaill), and then opt to hide away from the emerging fascist regime? This could be a dark final chapter for this series and this people that we’re entering.
The news that the Empire had built up a secret base on Mandalore isn’t all that shocking – after all, having destroyed the planet, they would be well aware that it was still inhabitable – although it certainly feels a bit like a cheat, since Din and Bo-Katan didn’t come across anyone on the surface a few weeks back, but it does explain the fighters. So, I guess it’s a narrative wash. I was impressed that Gideon was so hellbent on protecting his base on Mandalore (which speaks toward his own lofty goals of leading the Imperial remnant – as does his dismissal of the as-yet-unseen-in-live-action Grand Admiral Thrawn*) and I was also impressed that he and his troops had managed to mine and fashion beskar armor, which isn’t supposed to be an easy thing to do. So, we have Moff Gideon in possession of Din Djarin, the Mandalorians in the sky under siege from the Imperial fleet on Mandalore, and the Mandalorians (and Grogu in his wonderful new IG-12 body) trapped on the surface with no sure way off the planet following the sacrifice of Paz Vizsla. Perhaps we’re looking at a deus ex Mythosaur or something equally in-universe? But either way, we’re finally getting to the point within the series where things are starting to coalesce into an endgame for this season.
*Grand Admiral Thrawn is presumably going to be a major player in the upcoming Ahsoka series – considering he’s her antagonist from Rebels. But I wouldn’t be shocked if we get an ominous Thrawn appearance in the final episode of this season of The Mandalorian, providing a seamless bridge between this series and that, and allowing fans to understand the trouble that will be wrought when Thrawn appears on the scene in live action for the first time.
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